The European countries with the highest donation rates — Belgium, Portugal and Spain — have longstanding presumed consent laws. But in some countries, like Sweden, such laws have not produced high donation rates. Last fall, Prime Minister Theresa May said Parliament should change to an opt-out system, and the government has invited public comment on the issue through March 6. Designing the program poorly could backfire, they said, making people distrust the system and increasing the rate of refusals. Most countries with opt-out laws have gone that route, but a few, like Austria and Singapore, have “hard” opt outs, in which the family’s wishes can be dismissed.

Source: New York Times February 23, 2018 16:22 UTC